Thursday, December 07, 2006

News for 12-06-06

12-06-06 - France says in a hurry to reach Iran sanctions deal Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said any decision to impose sanctions on Iran would be illegal. "We (would) consider such a decision as a threat to our national interests and security," Mottaki said. "The Security Council is a place to strengthen security for countries, not to threaten security," he said at a news conference in The Hague.

12-06-06 - Iraq Study Group: Shift mission, go regional "There must be a renewed and sustained commitment ... to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts: Lebanon, Syria, and President Bush's June 2002 commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. This commitment must include direct talks with, by, and between Israel, Lebanon, Palestinians - those who accept Israel's right to exist - and Syria."

12-06-06 - Experts: Syria, Iran willing to aid U.S. Syria and Iran are willing to help stabilize Iraq, as the Iraq Study Group recommended Wednesday, but both countries will want something in return and neither has a magic solution to the chaos, Mideast officials and analysts said.

12-06-06 - Rice's Iran Strategy Fizzles, Cheney Waits in Wings ** aides to Cheney insisted that the administration is not yet prepared politically for a shift to the military track, according to Kaplan. But once Rice's diplomatic effort becomes a highly visible failure, Cheney and his allies in the administration are poised to begin the process of ratcheting up pressure on Bush to begin the political planning for an eventual military attack on Iran.

12-06-06 - 'Alternative Nobel' Winner Says U.S. Attack on Iran Likely before 2008 ** "It is more likely than not, in the next two years, that President Bush and Vice President Cheney will direct an attack on Iran," Ellsberg said at a news conference for the Right Livelihood laureates. "Such an attack ... might escalate too, to the use of nuclear weapons against underground installations in Iran, with incalculable consequences."

12-06-06 - Neocons Move to Preempt Baker Report To have read the neoconservative press here over the past month, one would think that former Secretary of State James Baker poses the biggest threat to the United States and Israel since Saddam Hussein.

12-06-06 - Sailor Pleads Guilty to Espionage A sailor accused of stealing a Navy laptop and peddling its classified contents to an undisclosed foreign government pleaded guilty Monday to espionage, desertion and other charges.

12-06-06 - Hizbullah rejects human-shield accusations The reasons behind this report "are obvious. They are trying to get rid of the responsibility of killing civilians and pinning the responsibility on someone else. The Israeli Army has never had any morals. They used all kinds of internationally banned weaponry against our civilians - including cluster bombs and phosphorous bombs. If they didn't want to kill civilians they wouldn't have used such weapons in the first place."

12-06-06 - National Council of Churchs comments on Iraq The NCC also applauded the Report?s conclusion that the security situation involving Israel and the Palestinian Authority is intrinsically linked to Iraq, saying ?the Israeli - Palestinian conflict is central to the solution of all problems in the Middle East.?

12-06-06 - McCain's statement on Iraq Study Group report AIPAC must have sent out word that there is to be no linkage between Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict. This linkage appears to have been in the ISG report. So far Biden, Lantos and now McCain are all singing the same tune.

12-06-06 - Israel embarks on PR face-lift Yesterday's report detailing an Israeli think-tank's 'findings' on the alleged use of human shields by Hezbollah in Lebanon was one step in series of moves by Israel of late that can be chalked up to this newfound PR effort.

More wasted time and money by those on Capitol Hill who were elected to represent the interests of THIS country.

12-06-06 - Failure to pass budget bills could stall Democrats' incoming agenda Spending that affects Israel is not impacted. Foreign operations, which accounts for the $2.8 billion Israel receives annually, is going ahead at 2006 levels, which differ little from levels promised for 2007. The Defense Appropriations Act, which affects collaborative U.S.-Israel programs such as the Arrow anti-missile program, is one of only two that were passed before the midterm elections.

12-06-06 - APN meets Syrian envoy Moustapha repeated Syria's call for a resumption of talks with no pre-conditions; APN reiterated U.S. and Israeli demands that Syria end its support for terrorist groups.